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Parathas Stuffed with Sweet Potato and Potato

Flat breads are one of the special delights of Indian cuisine. The possibilities are literally endless. Shallow-fried, deep-fried, baked, toasted, leavened and unleavened, stuffed, savory, sweet, and sometimes spiced, these traditional accompaniments to Indian meals come in a variety of flavors, shapes and textures.

Somehow or other, this is one area of Indian cooking that I have sadly neglected, and honestly I'm not sure why. I bother to make my own pastry when required, have enjoyed making bread in the past, do not shy away from spending a few hours in the kitchen when I have the time, and cook Indian dishes on a regular basis. I plead distraction. I could probably fill a small library with my food ideas.

But now I have finally done so, making these crispy stuffed parathas. Time consuming, yes, but absolutely worth the effort. The dough was an absolute pleasure to work with and will certainly serve as a base for future creations. The possibilities for fillings have occupied my mind since I made these this past weekend. I'm thinking paneer and spice is next.

Combine the flours, salt, melted butter and water in a bowl until a dough is formed. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 1 hour.

Peel and boil the sweet potato until tender. Mash and set aside.

Heat the olive oil for the filling in a medium saucepan until hot. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and salt, and stir for 30 to 60 seconds or until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Now add the potato, cayenne and water. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the potato is just tender. Stir the mashed sweet potato into the potato mixture.

Shape the dough into a log and divide into 16 equal portions. Shape each piece into a ball and roll each ball into 5 1/2 inch rounds on a lightly floured board. Stack the rolled out rounds, separating each round with plastic wrap.

Spread a few teaspoons of filling over a rolled out round, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Brush the edge with water and top with another rolled out round. Press the edges together firmly to seal. Repeat until all 8 parathas are filled.

Heat the 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan until hot. Cook one stuffed paratha at a time until nicely browned on both sides — about 5 minutes a side. Drain on paper towels. The cooked parathas can be kept warm in the oven while you fry up the remainder. Add more oil to the pan as needed.

20 comments:

these look great - it is strange that you haven't done many Indian breads before given your love of quick breads and indian (ok maybe the 'quick' in quickbreads is the clue!). It is something I would love to do so will find this post very useful some time in the future!

that looks great, lisa. if you like them thinner, you can just put the mixture in the middle, seal the roti around it and then roll it out again... a friend of mine is having a Roti Mela/Event - maybe you could send this in for that?http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/04/announcing-event-to-celebrate-indian.html

Based in London, Ontario, a veteran vegetarian for 22 years serves up a collection of delicious culinary creations from her kitchen, with an emphasis on spicy Indian dishes and whole foods. If you want to know what sensible vegetarians eat, Lisa's Kitchen is the place to be.